The present invention generally pertains to automotive vehicle roof systems and more particularly to a sunroof for use in an automotive vehicle.
It is known to employ flexible roof covers for automotive vehicles. For example, a flexible roof cover can be retracted by winding it around a spring loaded roller. Such designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,245,278 entitled xe2x80x9cAuto Topxe2x80x9d which issued to Sherman on Nov. 6, 1917, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,060 entitled xe2x80x9cRoof of Motor Cars and the Like Vehicles of the Inclosed or Saloon Typexe2x80x9d which issued to Barnes on Dec. 3, 1929. More recent variations of single and flexible sunroof covers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,868 entitled xe2x80x9cVehicle Door-to-Door Sunroof Assemblyxe2x80x9d which issued to Miller et al. on Jan. 16, 1990, and WO 96/01191 entitled xe2x80x9cSunshade for an Automotive Vehicle Roofxe2x80x9d which was published on Jan. 18, 1996.
In accordance with the present invention, a preferred embodiment of an automotive vehicle sunroof includes a linkage assembly, one or more elongated elements and a flexible cover. In another aspect of the present invention, the flexible cover is folded in an overlapping manner when retracted. A further aspect of the present invention provides at least a pair of flexible covers that are advanced toward each other in order to close a single sunroof opening. In yet another aspect of the present invention, a linkage assembly attached to a flexible cover is manually actuable. A method of operating an automotive vehicle sunroof is also provided.
The automotive vehicle sunroof of the present invention is advantageous over conventional sunroof constructions in that the present invention is significantly less costly and lighter weight. This is especially true when the manually actuated, flexible cover embodiment is compared to traditional electric motor driven glass sunroofs. Furthermore, the overlapping folded arrangement of the present invention sunroof does not require the bulkiness and weight of a conventional roller mechanism and the stowed support strips or frame. Additionally, the present invention allows for independent opening of the sunroof cover above a driver or passenger by employing multiple covers. A low cost and reliable driving and slave linkage system is employed with the present invention which can be smoothly moved and compactly packaged. Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.